The Kitchen/Garden

The Kitchen, Garden and Food Program

Our food program is inspired by the Ellyn Satter Institute for child nutrition. We aim to help children develop good nutrition habits, friendliness towards new foods, and a better understanding of where food comes from.

Our kitchen is a unique learning environment that honors all of the child's sensitive periods. Guided by the Kitchen Garden Teacher, children participate in the daily preparation of snack and lunch in our child friendly kitchen. Menus are created with emphasis on whole, nutritious, healthy foods and are prepared from scratch each day.

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Lunch is served in a family style environment, with tables beautifully set. ﻿﻿

Incorporating fruits, vegetables and herbs that we grow in our garden, the children experience the food cycle. As they learn about how food is produced and participate in the preparation of it, they become more open to new flavors and textures.

Our garden is a safe and beautiful environment that invites children to connect to the natural world. Rich with colors, textures, smells, sounds and even opportunities for foraging, it honors children's sensory style of learning. There are spaces to move wildly, climb, jump and build, coves to hide, rest and contemplate, and an area to come together as a family. Together, we grow vegetables and herbs to add to our meals and snacks made right at school. There is joy in the care of plants and animals, in observing the relationships among living things, and in cultivating the beginning of a lifelong bond with the outdoors.

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We guide the children in sustainable practices and include composting, reuse of materials, limiting waste through recycling, as well as participating in community projects such as beach cleanups.﻿

Our garden supports local fauna and insects such as migratory and resident monarch butterflies!

Familiarizing themselves with native trees and flowers of our garden the children build a foundation of interest and care for the natural world. The foundation of eco-literacy!